Ballot-marker.



No 7|7,297. Patented Dec. 30, 1902.

T. C. SPELLING. Y

BALLOT MARKER.

(Appliation filed Feb. 11, 1902.)

(No Model.)

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UNrrnn STATES l ATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS CARL SPELLING, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

BALLOT-MARKER..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 717,297, dated December 30,1902.

Application led February ll, 1902. Serial No. 93.521. (lio model.)

To @ZZ whoml t may concern:

Be it knownthat LTHonAs CARL SPELLING,

a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ballot-Markers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in mechanism for holding and marking ballots furnished in the places where elections are provided for and conducted according to the Australian system of voting.

The extent to which mistakes occur and to which what are termed by the courts distinguishingmarks are made on the ballot through ignorance, awkwardness, or accident with the present inadequate means for marking ballots is not generally known, but is coming to light of late through recounts in the courts. The percentage of rejected ballots in one complete recount of the vote of the city of San Francisco at the municipal election of 1899 was twenty-five per cent. of the entire vote.

The ballots to be marked and voted are of large size and of soft paper, and the majority of the voters are unskilled in handling papers and documents. The compartments in the voting-booths are cramped and dark, no windows being permitted lest the secrecy of the ballot be impaired. The choice of the voter is required o by statute to be designated by stamping a cross opposite to the candidate of his choice, there being provided for this purpose a rubber stamp and an inking pad. These pads are generally either too wet or too dry. If the former, a double cross is apt to be made on the paper when folded, if the latter, the voter sometimes attempts to amend it,and thereby succeeds in making two crosses or a blot. be thrown out as having a distinguishingmark. A further difiiculty is experienced by some voters in insuring that they vote for the exact number of candidates when a certain number of a group of candidatesis to be voted for and no more. It frequently occurs that when, for instance, eighteen supervisors are to bevoted for the voter will, through an error in his count, vote for more than that number, or for fear of making an error will In either case the ballot may vote less than the proper number. As a mat ter of fact, the minds of most voters are fully occupied in selecting candidates, and some mechanical device is needed to relieve them of the task of keeping account of the number voted as he proceeds.

- The objects of my invention are, rst, to provide means for overcoming these defects, and, secondly, to economize the time of voters and election officers.

My invention therefore resides in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts for the above ends hereinafter fully specified, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a plan view of my improvedapparatus. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, showing the frame raised. Fig. 3 is a side view of the cross-bar and the markers carried thereby. Fig. 4 is an enlarged front View of one of said markers. Fig. 5 is a similar side view of the same. Fig. 6` is a cross-section on the line A A of Fig. 4t. Fig. 7 is an enlarged longitudi-y nal section of one of the bars. Fig. 8 is a section through the table. Fig. 9 is an enlarged section of the indicator. Fig. 10 is a crosssection of the same.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the top of a smooth board, upon which the ballot 2 is deposited to be marked. 'Io said board is hinged, as shown at 3, a' cover 4, arranged when swung down to completely inclose all the printed portion of said ballot and resting on the printed line, which incloses said printed portion with the blank margin 5 outside. Said frame has secured across the same, run-4 ning from the top to the bottom of the frame, the bars 6, upon which slides the slide 7, running transversely of the frame. Said slide supports thereon a number of markers 8,

there being one such marker for every column f IOO sharp edge, as shown in Fig. 6, which edge engages in turn grooves 110, formed transversely across the corresponding bar 6.

As will be seen, the ballot for which this apparatus is intended has the names of the candidate arranged thereon in columns, the oflices being arranged in rows, and on the right-'hand side ot' each candidate is provided a blank space upon which to mark the cross with the stamp, uniformity throughout in spacing being required by law. Each marker comprises a stem l1, having at its upperend a button 12 and normally pressed upward by a spring 13, said stem sliding in a bearing 14, secured on the under side of an extension or support l5 from the slide 7 and also through said extension. The lower end of said stem carries the marking-stamp 17, which when the button is depressed comes into contact with the ballot and stamps the desired mark thereon. 13 represents the inking-pad for inking the stamp attached to an arm 19, pivoted, as shown 20, to the under side ofthe support 15, and said arm is connected by a link 21 with a joint 22 upon the stem 1l. Therefore when said arm is depressed the effect will be to swing the arm 19 outward, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, and thereby removing the inking-pad from the path of the descending stamp. When the stamp rises again under the action of the spring 13, the inking-pad is moved inward into close contact with the stamp, thereby reinking the stamp.

In operation the voter will move the slide 7 down along the bars and will bring the same to such position that the markers stand over the spaces 23 opposite to the names of the candidates for a particular ofce, and he will then depress astamp onto the space opposite to the candidate for whom he desires to vote. He will then move the bar down to the neXt ofce and proceed in like manner.

In some elections, as those which include the election of presidential electoral voters or supervisors, a voter is permitted to cast his vote fora certain number, and no more, selected at will from a group of candidates. In order to avoid a mistake by the voter voting for more candidates than he is entitled to under such conditions, I provide the following mechanism: To the frame is attached a cord 25, which is connected to a slide 2G, moving in a guide 27, formed in the top of an elongated box 28. The upper side of said slide has marked thereon a series of numbers, as shown at 29, the highest number corresponding with the number in the group to be voted for, and in the top of the box is formed an opening 30,

through which these numbers may appearinW succession. On the under side of said slide 26 is formed a series of ratchet-teeth 3l, as many as there are numbers 29, which teeth are engaged in succession by a pawl 32, carried on an arm 33 on a shaft 34, extending through the box and having secured on its end outside the box a lever 35. A spring 36 normally throws the arm 33 downward and the lever 35 upward, while a spring 37 throws the pawl outward, so as to insure engagement with the ratchet-teeth. When the frame is raised to insert the ballot thereunder, the slide 26 will move upward in the guide 27, being pulled in that direction by the cord Vor string 25. When the frame is closed, the slide will remain in place by friction. When the voter votes for any candidate of a group, he will at the same time depress the lever 35, which will cause the slide to travel through the length of one ratchet-tooth, and will thereby bring the ueXt number of the series 29 underneath the opening 30, thus indicating the number of votes the voter has cast for candidates in the group. When the voter has voted up to the limit permitted, the slide will have moved through the whole distance which it is able to move, and this will indicate to the voter that he has voted the full number of candidates.

1 claim- 1. In a ballot-marker, the combination with a board or table arranged to support a paper ballot oblon g in form, of an oblong frame pivoted to said board and arranged when closed upon said board or table upon the ballot thereon to inclose with said frame the printed matter and blank spaces to be filled on said ballot, longitudinal bars corresponding in number to the number of columns of candidates on the ballot, a transverse guide sliding on said bars and extending from one side to the other of said frame, bearings for markers carried by said guide one corresponding to each column, and individual markers in said bearings for marking the ballot-sheet, substantially as described.

2. In a ballot-marker, the combination of a board or table on which the ballot is placed, of a frame hinged thereon and markers movably carried by said frame, each markercomprisinga stem having a rubber stamp on the lower end thereof, an inking-pad, and mechanism operated by the depression of said stem whereby said pad is removed out of contact with said stamp, substantially as described.

3. A marker comprisinga tubular frame, a stem vertically guided therein,a rubber stamp on the lower end of said stem, a spring for normally pressing said stem upward, an inking-pad, an arm pivotally connected at its upper end directly with said frame swinging away from said stem and lixedly connected` with said pad at its lower end and a link connecting said stem at a point below the frame with said arm, whereby the depression of said stem moves said pad laterally, substantially as described.

4E. A marker comprising a tubular frame, a stem at each end movable in said frame, means for so moving said stems, a stamp carried on the outer end of each stem, an inkingpad normally in contact with said stem, means operated by the outward movement of said stem for withdrawing the pad out of contact with said stamp, and a numbering de- IOO IIO

vice attached to one of said stems and indieating the number of times it has been operated, substantially as described.

5. In aballot-marker, the combination with a board or table, of a frame hinged thereon, and an indicating device, said indicating device comprising a slide and means connecting said slide with said frame whereby the lifting of said frame withdraws said slide to its initial position, a rack, on the under side of said slide, a rook-shaft, a lever for rocking said shaft, an arm carried by said rock-shaft, and a pawl carried bysaid arm and arranged to engage said rack to move it through a predetermined distance, said rack having on its upper side a series of numbers, and said indicating device having on its upper side over said rack an opening through which said numbers appear in succession, substantially as described.

6. In aballot-marker, the combination with a board or table on which the ballot is placed, of a frame hinged thereto, and an indicator comprising a suitable casing, a device movable in said casing and having a series of numbers marked thereon, said casing having an opening through which said numbers appear in succession one at a time, a lever, a mechanism whereby the operation of said 1ever actuates said device to bring said numbers in succession beneath said opening and a connection between said device and the frame whereby the operation of raising the frame restores said device to its initial position, substantially as described.

In Witness whereof l have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

THOMAS CARL SPELLING.

Witnesses:

FRANCIS M. WRIGHT, B. GORFINKEL. 

